Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Christmas Cookies

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Tina at Faith, Fitness, and Fun hosted a Blogger Holiday Gift Exchange.

I was the lucky recipient of some of the tastiest treats of the season!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Courtney at Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life.

She did such an awesome job packaging I almost didn’t want to open them!  The recipes were even included on cute laminated cards that I can keep.

Of course, I proceeded to open them and did a taste test before I even remembered to take pictures. Typical.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

These are looooong gone. 

(Courtney – the cookie monster my Mom says “nom nom… thank…. nom… you… nom nom.”)

I also was the lucky recipient of these Dark Chocolate Turtle Graham Crack Bars:

OMG. I need to have these everyday for the rest of my life.  I literally couldn’t stop eating these.

Courtney also hooked me up with some Bath & Body lotion/gel.  Perfect addition for the drying winter!

Thank you again, Courtney!

Merry Christmas!!!

***

Pressing questions of the day: Can I make myself run before the baking resumes?

Has anyone else been successful at this today?  So. Cold.

Baking with Booze

By

Good thing I got my butt to the gym today.

’cause I do love cupcakes.

Baby Sis let me tag along to her gym today where I tried out Body Pump for the first time.  It was really good!  I thought I was sooooo tough and started with more weight than I should have, but I quickly rectified that situation.

Part of me is scared I will be a whole new level of sore tomorrow, but the other part of me really likes feeling a workout. 🙂

Truth be told, I still like kickboxing better.  Something about hitting a bag is so satisfying.

So… what is it that had me chasing Baby Sis out of my batter?

Gingerbread cupcakes filled with raisin-infused rum ganche and topped with cinnamon icing.

Heaven.

You know you’ve reached a new high when your mom says:

“This is the best thing you’ve ever made.”

I’ve literally been thinking about this recipe since I made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes last year.

Once your muffins are baked, let them cool completely before carving out the center.  If you have one of these, your life will be easier.

(Thanks for the early present, Madi!).

Centers can also be removed with apple corers, grapefruit spoons, fingers, and knives.

Next, get your fancy icing bag standard placstic baggie.  Fill it with the ganache, then cut the very tip of the corner off to fill the cakes.

Fill the cutouts carefully just to the top of the cupcake.

Let that cool/solidify in the fridge for 30 mins (or 10 in the freezer if you’re impatient like I am).

Meanwhile, make your cinnamon icing.

Then – using the afore mentioned classy baggie method – ice the cupcakes.

Note to self: Get a hair cut!

Icing cakes isn’t one of my many skills…

But I don’t think Santa will mind. 🙂

Gingerbread Rum-Ganache Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Keywords: bake dessert ginger rum Christmas cake winter

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

    For the Cupcake

    • 1/2 C canola oil
    • 3/4 C brown sugar (packed)
    • 1/3 C molasses
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/4 C buttermilk
    • 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 T ginger
    • 2 T cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp cloves
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 C crystallized ginger (chopped)

    For the Ganache

    • 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
    • 2/3 C heavy cream
    • 1 T butter, room temp
    • 4 tsp dark rum (I used the raisin-infused rum left over from this recipe

    For the Icing

    • 1 stick salted butter, room temp
    • 2 C confectioners’ sugar
    • 1/4 C almond milk
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 tsp cinnamon

    Instructions

    For the Cupcake

    Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.

    Using the paddle attachment on your electric mixer, beat the oil with the brown sugar and molasses until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the buttermilk.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

    Add the dry ingredients to the wet, beating just until combined. Fold in the crystallized ginger.

    Pour batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake about 15 mins. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

    For the Ganache

    Roughly chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer.

    Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit until chocolate appears melty (about 30 secs), then stir until smooth. If chocolate isn’t totally melted, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

    Add the butter and rum and stir until combined.

    Let that cool to room temp while you make the icing.

    For the Icing

    Using a mixer, beat butter until smooth.

    Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix until blended and creamy; adding more confectioners’ sugar 1 T at a time as needed.

    To Assemble

    Carefully remove center of cupcakes. A cupcake corer, apple corer, or sharp knife will work. I find it easier to do this while the cakes are still in the tin. (What you do with the scraps is your business.)

    Fill center of cupcakes to brim with ganache and allow to cool/solidify a bit in the fridge (~30 mins) or freezer (~10 mins).

    Ice cupcakes.

    Stuff your face.

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    ***

    These are pretty fabulous… and I tend to agree with Mom.  They may just be the best thing I’ve ever made.

    What’s the best thing you’ve ever made?

    Merry Christmas Eve!!!

    S’more Balls

    By

    Everyone has a favorite holiday video.  Maybe you watch It’s a Wonderful Life each year.  Or Elf (I love the part where he eats spaghetti topped with syrup and candy).

    I watch Alec Baldwin’s SNL classic: Schweddy Balls.

    A few weeks ago I made Cookie Dough Balls (based on Angela’s recipe at Oh She Glows).  They were amazing, and I couldn’t wait to try out my own interpretation(s).

    Without further ado…

    …in the spirit of tasty balls

    …I give you:

    S’more Cookie Dough Balls

    Dipped in dark chocolate and topped with graham cracker crumbles.

    By the time they cooled enough to take pictures, I had lost a couple of balls!

    S’more Cookie Dough Balls

    by Laura Hall

    Prep Time: 30 mins

    Keywords: raw dessert gluten-free vegan vegetarian cashews dates chocolate chips oatmeal Christmas healthy winter fall

    Ingredients (15 balls)

    • 2/3 C raw, unsalted cashews
    • 1/4 C oats
    • 1/2 C spelt flour (can sub other flour)
    • 1/4 C graham crackers (smashed into a rough crumble)
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 3 T pure maple syrup
    • 2-3 T marshmallow fluff
    • 2- 3 tbsp dark chocolate, rough chopped
    • 1/3 cup dark chocolate, melted, for dipping

    Instructions

    Place cashews and oats in food processor until finely crumbled. Add in the flour, graham crackers, kosher salt, and roughly chopped dates. Process until fine.

    Add vanilla and maple syrup. Blend until the mixture comes together in a ball. Manually stir in marshmallow fluff. If too crumbly, add more syrup or a tiny bit of water.

    Stir in the 3-4 T of chopped dark chocolate. Roll into balls (about 2 tsp in size).

    In a double boiler or microwave, melt 1/3 cup of dark chocolate in a small bowl. Now dip each ball into the chocolate and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle balls with crumbled graham crackers.

    Freeze for 1 hour or overnight to set.

    Powered by Recipage

    ***

    I have to brave the mall to finish some Christmas shopping.  Christmas Eve is like amateur day at the mall… hopefully it won’t be too bad yet tonight.

    Is everyone else done with their shopping?

    Green Beans and Chocolate

    By

    Now that we are home the cooking can resume!

    Mom has been running around the house like a humming bird on crack.  I’m not sure if it is the pain medicine or the fact that she is finally able to walk again.  Well, its still more of a shuffle, but close!

    Since Christmas is this week and mom is still recovering, I’m going to hang out at her house until next weekend.  Not to mention the fact that my sisters are in town and her kitchen is better than mine.

    I finally got to exercise again and it felt GREAT alright.  Apparently when you don’t exercise for 10 days, getting amped up again is difficult.

    My uncle and Baby Sis were her when we arrived on Saturday, so I let them watch Mamma and ran a quick 3 miles.  It really was quick – 26 mins – but it felt like an hour.

    Today was a little easier.  P90X Shoulders and Arms, followed by Ab Ripper X.  I love a good core workout.

    Other than that, I have been in the kitchen.  Some healthy creations, some borderline, and some down right sinful.

    Variety is the spice of life.

    The Healthy

    I made a French Green Bean Salad using a Lemon- Tahini Dressing inspired by this one by Angela at Oh She Glows.

    In summary – YUM.  I loved the crispiness of this salad and the tahini dressing was like hummus with a zing.  Best of all, it was super healthy and easy to make.

    French Green Bean Salad

    • ~1 lb French green beans
    • 6 dried Mission figs, quartered
    • 1 cucumber, sliced
    • 1 large carrot, sliced
    • handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
    • S&P (to taste)

    Bring large pot of water to a boil.  Remove ends from beans and steam until bright green and still crisp.  Remove from water and place immediately in an ice bath (this will chill them and stop the cooking).  Remove from bath and dry.  Place in bowl and toss lightly with garlic salt, carrots, cucumbers, figs and parsley.

    Top with crackers or pita and Lemon-Tahini Dressing.

    Serves 3-4

    Lemon-Tahini Dressing

    • 4 T tahini
    • Juice from 1 lemon
    • 3/4 tsp honey
    • 3-4 T water
    • 1 tsp EVOO
    • S&P (to taste)

    In a small bowl, combine tahini, honey, lemon juice, EVOO, and S&P.  Thin out with some water (add one tablespoon at a time) and stir until well combined.

    The Borderline

    It is a bit of a repeat.  But this time I’ve learned a couple of tricks.

    Roasted Banana Rum-Raisin Breakfast Bread

    Lessons:

    • Check it at 40 mins.  Mom’s oven cooks fast.
    • Don’t skimp on the rum raisin soaking time.  They get super soft and flavorful when you actually let them soak the whole hour.
    • Use the paddle attachment in the mixing bowl.  I forgot until half way through the first time.  This loaf was much fluffier.
    • Don’t sub evaporated milk for coconut milk.  It was an emergency… but the coconut gives it more depth of flavor.

    ***

    And, back by popular demand, PB Sunflower Granola!

    Thanks to Ann, I did get it to stick together better.  Press it down hard immediately after taking it out of the oven.  Then don’t touch it again until it is totally cool.

    Ready for the sinful?

    The Sinful

    Fudge.  More specifically, peanut butter fudge.  With walnuts.

    I was making something else, had the marshmallow fluff out, and thought “why not?”

    The Jett-Puffed recipe has always been my go-to, but I think this one is pretty good.  It is less greasy and sugary (1/2 C less in fact)… You can actually eat an whole square without that sugar over-dose feeling.  Whether that is good or bad, I’ll let you decide.

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

    by Laura Hall

    Cook Time: 25 mins

    Keywords: boil dessert Marshmallow Fluff peanut butter chocolate chips Christmas

    Ingredients (20 servings)

    • 2 1/2 C sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 stick butter (salted)
    • 2/3 C evaporated milk
    • 5 1/2 oz (~3/4 jar) Marshmallow Fluff
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 12-oz. Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 2 T peanut butter
    • 1/2 C walnuts

    Instructions

    Line an 8-in square baking pan with aluminum foil; set aside.

    In large saucepan combine the first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended.

    Increase heat to medium and bring to a full-rolling boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes (until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is perfectly smooth).

    Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chocolate until chocolate is melted. Add nuts. Barely fold in peanut butter. Pour into lined pan and cool completely before cutting.

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    ***
    Do you have that one thing you make every year?  One your friends request

    Happy Holiday baking to all!

    http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5003/5275326845_15813cc850.jpg

    All I Want for Christmas

    By

    Still in the hospital with mom.

     

    I’m rapidly becoming less and less impressed with doctors.  They are supposed to FIX problems, not create them!

    Anyway, since there isn’t any food to speak of, I thought I’d share my Amazon Christmas Wish List!  Baby Sis was looking for mine and texted me to ask a question: “Is yours the one with all the cooking stuff?”

    Duh.
    So here are my Top 10 Wish List Items (no, they aren’t ALL about cooking!).

    1. The Improvisational Cook – There are several cookbooks on my list, yet I know I’ll do my usual.  Use them 2-3 times and then get distracted by other shiny objects recipes and not open it again for 2 years.  I still want this one though.  The theory behind why certain ingredients work and how to expand dishes fascinates me.  Some people read novels, I read cookbooks.

    2. Food Scale – For my diet?!  HAHAHAHA!  No, friends.  Scales are much more accurate than measuring cups.  Better to bake with!  I’m fully aware that I’m probably the only person in the world wishing for a scale so I can make more yummy anti-diet food.

    3. The Healthiest Meals on Earth – This is the last one, I swear!  Again, this book has a lot of background and “why it works” info, with the addition of more nutrient data.  Love.  It.  I’ll probably store it on the scale to balance out the baked goods.

    4. Glass Straw – I love my smoothies.  And I do have occasional hippie-like guilt for the excess plastic I waste using a different straw everyday.  A glass straw would solve it all!

    5. Ice Cream Maker – It is the perfect size – 1/2 a pint!  I’ve been eyeing a certain Oatmeal Ice Cream recipe for a while.  Add blueberries and cinnamon.  Peanut butter sauce.  Chopped walnuts.  Coffee.  Is anyone else hungry?

    6. Shun LEFT-HANDED 6-in Utility Knife – That’s right.  LEFT-HANDED!!! Maybe this will help alleviate the little problem I have with slicing my fingers?!

    7. Wrist Guards – These are for derby.  Mine smell so bad I can hardly stand it.  I’m also hoping Santa brings some elbow pads to replace that stench too. 🙂

    8. Ninjabread Men Cookie Cutters – Speaking of derby… these will allow me to make appropriately themed cookies for my Sake teammates!

    9. Measuring Matroyshkas – How cool are these?  Hopefully they are accurate.  I cannot get enough nifty kitchen stuff!

    10. Power Balance Wrist Band – I heard these work.  I saw a demo.  It is probably a load of you-know-what. I reallllly want to try it out.  In theory, this band “uses holograms embedded with frequencies that react positively with your body’s natural energy field.”  It supposedly makes you stronger and more steady.  Sounds like an athlete’s dream come true.

    Honorable mentions:

    ***

    I’m now trying to shop for a certain sister who is IMPOSSIBLE to buy for. 

    What do you do for situations like that?  Gift cards???

     

    Toys and Tempeh

    By

    This weekend marked the beginning of holiday party craziness.  Friday was a formal ball and Sunday was the famed Toy Party.

    You can dress 'em up

    The Toy Party is especially cool because you bring a toy as your admission (+ 3 drink tickets!).  All of the toys get piled up in the middle of the event space, so at the end of the night there is an overwhelmingly huge toy mountain.

    ... But you can't take 'em out!

    Needless to say, it was a fun night. 🙂

    Tonight was holiday kickboxing (“holiday” translation: hit the bag hard in an effort to balance out the party treats).

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Tonight I tried tempeh for the first time. 

    I also learned tempeh is not spelled like the AZ city.

    Tofurkey’s Coconut Curry Marinate Tempeh gets two thumbs up from me!  I think I bought it at The Fresh Market, but I have seen it at Whole Paycheck Foods as well.

    It was packed with flavor (the coconut was surprisingly pronounced) and came pre-sliced (read: easy prep).  For those that don’t like tofu due to texture issues, this is much closer to a meat consistency.

    One package contains 2 servings – 130 calories, 3g fat, 5g fiber, 8g sugar, and 13g protein.  The sugar is a little higher than I like, but for 13g of protein, I’ll take it!

    I put my tempeh slices in a pan with 1 T habanero-infused olive oil and 3-4 T red onion.  After they sauteed for a bit, I added an amazing black pepper (grown by my granddad!) and Cedar’s Chickpea Salad mix.

    Cedar’s makes some fantastic mixes, but this stuff is my favorite.  Delicious heated or raw over a salad!

    Then I piled the mix on top of some spinach and served it with a side of zucchini sticks.


    I think I have a new addiction!

    ***

    Then I did some banana-inspired baking… more tomorrow!  🙂

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